Range structure



y 10, 1951 L. E. MENDEL ET AL 2,559,890

RANGE STRUCTURE Filed April 12, 1946 I I /37 67 E2 a Patented July 10, 1951 RANGE STRUCTURE Leo E. Mendel and Frederick J. Port, Chicago, and Charles L. Turner, Oak Park, Ill., assignors to Cribben and Sexton Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 12, 1946, Serial No. 661,748

4 Claims.

This invention relates to range structure. The invention is particularly useful in connection with a .range having a grate mounted over a burner and in which it is desired to move the grate relative to the range top.

An object of the invention is to provide a range structure in which a grate is mounted in the upper portion of the range and over a burner, means being provided for adjusting the grate relative to the range top whereby a vent for the flow of combustion gases is provided for the burner below the grate. Yet another object is to provide a range structure in which a grate is mounted above a burner and in which means accessible from the front portion of the range is provided for controlling the elevating or lowering of the grate with respect to the range top. Yet another object is to provide a range structure in which means are provided for the raising of a grate above a burner, together with means for latching or looking the grate in a fixed position until it is desired to restore the parts to their original position. A further object is to provide a range structure in which a grate is mounted above a burner in such an arrangement as to provide a flush surface with the top of the range, and to approach the appearance of a range top with no opening, and means being provided for adjusting the position of the grate relative to the top when it is desired to use the burner, means also being provided for automatically controlling the flow of gas to the burner when the parts are adjusted for such operation of the burner. Yet another object is to provide a range top with a plurality of burners and grates thereover, together with means for raising or lowering the grates by electrical means. Yet another object is to provide a locking device for automatically closing gas valves, singly or jointly, whenever the position of the grates is such as to prevent egress of combustion products. A still further object is to provide in a range structure a lock-stop device for fixing the height of the grates relative to the stove top so as to permit proper combustion. A further object is to provide control knobs or other objects for operating the electrical power system for raising or lowering the grates. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a broken vertical sectional view of a range embodying our invention; Fig. 2, a sectional detail view, the section being taken as Fig. 1.

indicated at line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a sectional detail view, the section being taken as indicated at line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a perspective view of a locking bar employed; and, Fig. 5, a broken vertical sectional view of a portion of the range showing a modified structure for the elevation of the disk grate.

In the structure illustrated in Figs. 1-4 inclusive, 39 designates the upper part of a range which for purposes of illustration is shown as a gas range. The range top 3i may contain one or more burner openings, one of which is shown in Fig. 1 and designated 32. A disk grate 31 is carried Within burner opening 32 by a shaft 38 having the lower portion 39 thereof received Within a lifting solenoid ill]. The lower end of shaft 33 is reduced in diameter so as to provide a locking shoulder 4|.

It will of course be understood that the disk grate shown is illustrative, and other types of grates may be employed as desired.

Grate 31, it will be noted, is formed to fully close the burner opening 32 when grate 31 is in the retracted position shown in solid lines in When the burner is in use, grate 31 is raised to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus providing ample space between it and range top 3| to permit the escape of the products of combustion.

In order to latch the member 38 in its upper position, we provide a bar 42 having a bifurcated forward end 43, a rear portion 44 encircled by a spring 45, and a further portion 46 received within a solenoid ll, The member 52 is guided Within a housing 58 so that when the member 42 is thrust outwardly under the influence of spring 45, the forward end portion 43 will extend under the shoulder M to lock the upright 38 in the elevated position shown in dotted lines.

To control the flow of gas from the manifold 49, we provide a valve member 5! having a valve plunger 5!, and the plunger 5! is engaged by one end of a shaft 52 pivoted upon bracket 53. The inner end of shaft 52 is pivotally secured to the upright 38 at 54. Thus, upon the raising of the upright 38, the outer end of shaft 52 will drop, allowing the valve plunger 5| to drop, thereby opening the flow of gas into the channel valve 55 leading to the burner 56.

Any suitable means for controlling the foregoing electrical mechanism may be employed. In the illustration given, we provide a knob 51 equipped with a sleeve 58 keyed to a shaft 59 leading to the valve 55. The sleeve 58 is provided with a brush contact member 60 adapted to be brought into engagement with the spring contact GI and also with the spring contact 62.

The knob handle 51 may be provided with any suitable means for locking the handle in an interior position, and also with means for stopping the movement of the handle at the desired point. Secured to the knob 51' is an annular member 63 having peripheral notches 65 receiving inwardly-turned splines 65 carried by the fixed casing ring 63. t its inner side, the ring is provided with an annular recess 67 through which the member 33 may freely rotate. The contacts 6| and 52 heretofore described may be carried by an arm 58 secured, by the means illustrated, to the front wall portion of the ring.

In the operation of the structure illustrated, the knob member 5'! may be pushed inwardly so as to bring the contact to first into engagement with the spring contact 6! and then into engagement with the spring contact 2. The spring contact Si is connected by electrical cable to the solenoid 47. The closing of the circuit by contact between member so and the spring contact 62 results in energizing the lifting solenoid Mi; this produces a lifting of the upright 38 and disk 31, as illustrated. After the upright 33 is raised. the first breaking of contact occurs between the members Eli and El (because the contact member Ell is advanced beyond the contact 5i), thus deenergizing solenoid ll and permitting the spring to urge the locking member t2 inwardly to bring the head portion 53 into engag ment with the shoulder ll of upright Thus, the grate 37 is locked in the elevated position illustrated in dotted lines. At the same time, the upward movement of the upright 38 lowers the outer end of lever 52 and permits the plunger 5i of valve 53 to drop, thus permitting flow of gas from the manifold therethrough to the valve 55. As the knob 57 is rotated to control the flow of gas through valve 55, the contact between the mem ber iii) and spring contact (32 is broken so that the lifting solenoid "it is deenergised. However, since the upright 35 is already latched in its raised position, there is no tendency for the grate 3'! to fall.

To lower the grate 32 and to restore the parts to their initial position, the converse of the operations described is followed. As the knob ii is rotated, electrical circuit is made through the lifting solenoid ii! which relieves the strain upon the latching member 42. As the spring within knob 51 forces it back to its original position, the solenoid ll (by the momentary contacting of member 6% with the contact 5|) is energized to retract the latching member 2. Further retraction of the knob 51 de-energizes the solenoid 30, and the upright 38 and disk 3? move downwardly to their original position. Complete restoration of R210.- 51 to its original position then de-energizes solenoid t? by breaking contact between members 58 and Si. The dropping of the upright 33 also results in the closing of the plunger 5! and thereby the valve 50.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the structure is identical with that already described in Fig. 1, except that a manual element is substituted for the solenoid latching element, In this structure, the knob 69 is provided with a push-pull wire Ill received within cable H, and the wire engages a spring-urged latch member 72. The latch member 72 is adapted to engage below a shoulder '13 of the upright Hi when the upright 14 is elevated by the solenoid '15. In operation, when the knob 69 is pushed inwardly,

4 the wire it presses the catch l2 into latching position below the shoulder 73, aided by the spring it. When the handle 69 is to be moved outwardly to bring about the lowering of the upright 74, the spring contact arm I? is in contact with the member 73 and this closes the circuit leading through cable 19 to the solenoid 15 so as to place lifting force upon the upright M. At the same time, outward pull upon the wire 19 disengages the latch 52 from the shoulder 13, and upon the breaking of the contact between members Ti and T3 and the de-energizing of solenoid 75, the upright l4 and disk or grate 37 fall to their initial position.

While the invention is particularly adapted for use with gas ranges, it will be understood that the invention is also applicable to other fuel-burning structures and other heating devices. Further, while we have shown electrical means for effecting the movement of the grate and top relative to each other and also the control mechanism employed therewith, it will be understood that other power devices may be employed to produce the movements herein described.

Furthermore, if desired, the structure employed may be used for raising all of the grates together or raising the grates in groups, rather than singly.

While in the foregoing description we have set forth certain embodiments of the invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a range, a frame providing a range top member having at least one burner opening, a burner aligned with said opening, a movably mounted grate member over said burner, and solenoid-operated means for moving the grate between lowered and raised positions, and latch means operative releasably to secure the grate in its elevated position.

2. In a range, a frame providing a range top having at least one burner opening, a burner aligned with said opening, a grate movably mounted over said burner, a shaft extending through said burner and engaging said grate, a solenoid associated with the lower end of said shaft, means for energizing said solenoid to effect vertical movement of said grate, latch means operative releasably to secure the grate in its elevated position, and means controllable from the front of the range for releasing the latch means for lowering the grate.

3. In a range, a frame providing a range top having a burner opening, a burner aligned with said opening, a grate over said burner, solenoid means for raising said grate member, solenoidactuated latch means for releasably securing said grate member in elevated position and releasing the same to lower it, and a. handle equipped with contact means for energizing and de-energizing said solenoids to effect vertical movement of said grate and the unlatching thereof when in elevated position.

4. In a range, a frame providing a range top having a burner opening, a burner aligned with said opening, a grate over said burner, solenoid means for raising said grate member, solenoidactuated latch means for releasably securing said grate member in elevated position and releasing the same to lower it, and a handle equipped with contact means for energizing and de-energizing said solenoids to effect vertical movement of said grate and the unlatching thereof when in elevated'position, said handle being equipped with stop means limiting the movement thereof and with means for locking said handle in a predetermined position.

LEO E. MENDEL.

FREDERICK J. PORT.

CHARLES L. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kennedy Feb. 21, 1911 Number Number Number 

